Latch



March 31, 1931. A. EKMAN 1,798,149

LATCH I Filed June 18. 1929 2 sheets-sheet 1 Ti .1. a"? $5 a 1 5 QnreuEKmom March 31, 1931. EKMAN 1,798,143

LATCH Filed June 18. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lLQQIQI.

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mTome s 5 structure Patented Mar. 31, 1931 FATE r Fr -e1:

,ANDREWEEKMAN, or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNPR T0 'WIIITERS &GRAMP'TON MFG. 00., 0F GRANDVILLE, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or MICHIGANLATCH Application filed June 18,

This invention relates to latches which in practice are particularlyadapted for use on refrigerators, the present invention being directedto an improvement of the latch shown v in the prior Patent #1,648,289,issued Nov. 8, 1927, to Alexander l3. lVinters and Basil R. Crampton.The latch structure to which the present inven tion pertains, is ofthespring actuated type, including a pivotally mounted lever which isnormally actuated by a spring to -occupy a keeper engaging position. Thelever may be moved away from normal position against the force of thespring and, heretofore, the more the lever was moved away from thekeeper engaging position, the greater the force of the springresistingthe movement, while at the beginning of the movement, the resistingforce of the spring was relatively light. The latches are of what isknown as the trip type, that is, when the latch lever is moved from itsnormal keeper engaging position to-a position where it dise'ngages fromthe keeper, the latch is automatically held in its disengaged position,being adapted'fo'r I a trip release therefrom when the door c'arryingthe latch is closed through engagement of the latch lever with aprojecting trip, finger or post located adjacent the keeper.

Because of the relatively easy turning of the latch lever at thebeginning of its keeper disengaging movement, and the increasing forceof the spring as, inox' ement of the lever isconti'nuech'it is apparentthat when one grasps the lever handle to move it to disengage from thekeeper, the movement may not be carried through far enough to move thelatch to the position where it, is' to be en gaged and heldagainstreturn movement Also'when the lever engages with the keeper it shouldengage with a considerablesprin'g pressure behind it, and in the latchesas heretofore made, the spring pressure has been of least amount andefiect when the lever was engaged with the keeper, and of greatestamount when disengaged from the keeper, directly contrary to what itshould be. i

Thelpres'ent'inv'ention is concerned with a sin'i-ple an d novelconstruction oflatch whereit is ivota'lly mounted:

1929. Serial NO. 371,778,

in'tne effect of the spring on the lever will be greatest whenthe leveris engaged with the keeper and will serve to better press the door onwhich the latch is mounted intotight closing engagement with the doorframe or casing of the refrigerator on which the door is mounted.Moreover, when the lever is manually operated to disengage from thekeeper, the force required to start the lever in motion is greater thanthe force thereafter required to keep it in motion until it has reachedthe position where it is held and restrained from return. As a resultthe one operating the lever applies the maximum force thereto at thebeginning and this causes the lever to be swung to its extreme limit ofmovement and insures that it will reach the position in which it will beengaged and restrained from return. v

It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to provide alatch which is of economical construction whereby the ends stated may beattained and to farther provide a latch structure having these desiredqualities which isof universal application to doors swinging either tothe right or to the left. Many other objectsand purposes will beapparent after an understanding of the invention is had from the;following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings. in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation illustratii'ig a fragmentary portion of adoor and a door frame with the keeper mounted onth'e door frame jamh'and the latch mounted on the door, the outer side ort'o'p of the latchhousing being cut away to sho he interior striicture.

Fig, 2 is a fragnientariff" 'r'tical section centrally through the latchand-door and door frame. V

Fig; 3} is a vertical section taken transversely to the plane of thesection shown in Fig. 2, the section being taken imnrediately .vithintheside of the housing iiezit adjacent to thefreevertical edge the deer;

Fig. 4: is a fragmentar; perspective View of the latch lever" andhandle, illustratingthe eoa'strueti'oaofthe leverat the point with thebase plate removed, and with parts of the latch lever broken away forbetter disclosure of construction, the lever occupying its normalcentral position.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the toggle lever construction which ispresent in effect in the construction shown in Fig. 5, serving tonormally hold the lever in central neutral position. V

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. with the lever turned to one side.

Fig. 8 is a diagram similar to Fig. 6, illustrating the straightening ofthe toggle lever construction when the parts are moved from the positionshown in Fi 5 to that shown in Fig. 7, and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the lever and the toggle partsassociated therewith the perspective being taken at the side of thelever opposite that shown in Fig. 4.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figuresof the drawings.

The latch lever construction is mounted on the door 1 adjacent the freevertical edge thereof while the keeper for the latch lever is mounted onthe door frame or jamb 2. The keeper is of like constructlon to thatshown in the patent above noted including a base 3. I

an outwardly extending keeper hook 4 and a trip post or finger 5extending from the base adjacent the keeper hook.

The latch lever construction mounted on the door includes the usualvmetal housing having an outer side or top from which sides 6 and ends 7and 8 extend inwardly, there being attaching ears for the passage ofscrews to secure the housing to the door turned outwardly from the sides6 as shown. The end 7 of the housing nearer the free vertical edge ofthe door is formed with spaced apart inwardly extending projections 9near the top of the housing which make a convex seat between them. Theinner side of the housing is closed by a base plate 10 in which pairs ofopenings or slots 11 are cut, as shown, at each side of the longitudinalvertical central line of the housing, the purpose of: which willhereafter appear. The other end 8 of the housing has a portion turnedinwardly and parallel to the top, as indicated at 12, between the topand the base plate 10. The pivot post 13 for the latch lever extends, asbest shown in Fig. 2, through the portion 12 and the base plate, thepivot post 13 being of tubular form so that its inner end may be spunoutwardly post 13, and at one side of the opening the metal is turnedupwardly forming an are shaped lip 17 which bears against the inner sideof the part or portion 12 described, (see Fig. 2). V

The lever is formed from fiat metal into substantially channel shape inthe web of which the opening 16 is made while parallel flanges 18 extendfrom said web toward the base plate 10. A short distance from theopening 16 the web or upper side of the lever is'cut away and a crossbar 19 is located between the sides 18 of the lever (see Fig. 4) andpermanently secured in place. The flanges 18, adjacent the base plate10, are formed with projecting lugs 20 which are of the proper size, andare so located and spaced apart that they will freely enter the openings11 in the base plate when the lever is turned to bring said lugs to theopenings. The outer end of the lever, after it passes through thehousing, may be rolled into substantially cylindrical form, as indicatedat 21, and may either be of this form alone or may be located around arod 22 on which a keeper engaged roller 23 is rotatively mounted at theouter end of the rod 22 (see Figs. 7 and 9) A rocker plate 24 of fiatmetal is formed at one edge with a rounded projection 25 and at itsopposite edge with two spaced apart concaved seats 26. The rock-er plate24 is located over the lever 14 against the top of the latch lever.housing with the projection 25 seating in the seat between the twoprojections 9 on the end 7 of the housing previously described. A secondplate 27 of fiat metal is located adjacent the top of the lever housingand is formed with an offset section 28 which passes under the rockingplate 24. When the offset section 28 is pressed from the plate 27 it iscut from and lies between two spaced apart fingers 29, one at each sidethereof, which are formed with rounded free ends and are properlyspacedfrom each other so as to seat in the concaved seats 26 of therocker 24. The other i.

t righ a g milking a leg 32 which extends '5'" into the opening in thelever 14 between the sides or flanges 18 thereof (see Fig. 2). A coiledcompression spring 33 is located beleg 32. a v

The efi'ect'of the spring-33, under compres sion, is to move the plate27 so as to bring the ends of the fingers 29 to snug engagement with theseats 26 and thereby force the projection 25on the rocker 24 into theseat be M tween the cross bar 19 on the lever and said ere to ride withsome pressure upon the inner side of base plate 10; and when the leveris moved to a position such that these projections 20 are directlyopposite the openings ll,

the lever is automatically rocked to bring said lugs into the openings11 and the lever will be retained in the position in which it has movedand will not return to its initial position. shown in Fig. 5, until thelugs are re leased from said openings.

\Vhen the latch lever is engaged with the keeper, as in Fig. 1, therocker 24 and the plate 27 are disposed symmetrically to thelongitudinal axis of the lever 14:. To turn the lever from the positionshown in Fig. 1, (which is also the position shown in Fig. 5), to theposition shown in Fig. 7, it is, necessary to turn the lever about thepivot post 13, rock the rocker 24; on the projection and turn one of thefingers 29 in one of seats 26 on the rocker 2% with a consequentcompression of spring 23. In effect it is the same as would be thestraightening of the toggle lever diagram shown in Fig. 6 where thepivot at 26 must be carried through the are indicated from the point itoccupies in Fig. 6 to that which it occupies in Fig. 8. In the togglelever diagram as shown in Fig. 6, and which is illustrated by brokenlines in Fig. 5, the great est force must be applied in the beginning toovercome the resistance of the spring for the reason that the knuckle ofthe toggle is at that time farthest away from the dead center line.

As the toggle approaches the dead center line, as shown in Fig. 8, alesser amount of force is required to overcome the resistance of thespring even though the direct compression thrust of the spring may begreater than it was at the beginning. As a result one grasping thehandle 15 to actuate the lever is compelled to apply the greatest forceat the beginning and as a continuous turning force on the handle 18 isall that is required to keep the lever moving after it has once started,the lever will be insured of turning to the extreme of its movement orto a point where the lugs of projections 20 will come to and entertheopenings 11 at one side of the base plate 10. It also is evident, as acorollary to the previous proposition, that it the greatest force isrequired at the beginning to turn the lever from its keeper engagingtoits keeper disengaging position, then the force of the spring on thelever has its greatest efl'ect when the lever is engaged with thekeeper; and this is a very desirable and valuable feature of theinvention, particularly in refrigerators.

It is evident that the latch lever may be swung either away from itsnormal central position, shown in Fig. 1, and that the effect is thesame in both cases. This permits the mounting of the latch on doors,whether they swing to the right or to the left.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the latch described is 'full y"capable of attaining the objects and purposes for which it was designedin a simple, practicaland economical manner. The inventionisdelinedinL-tl'ie" ap pended claims and isto be" considered comprehensive o'l'all' forms or; structure coming within theirscop'e. a

1. In a latch, acove'ring housing, a latch lever pivotally mountedwithin thehousin springjmean's in the hou'sing associated with saidlat'ch'lever, andmeans combined with said spring means for normallycausing said spring means to hold the latch lever at a central positionand exert its greatest effective force upon the lever when at saidcentral position, the efiective force of the spring diminishing when thelatch lever is moved away from normal central position and until itreaches its outer position and means to hold it in its outer position.

2. In a latch, a covering housing, a latch lever pivotally mountedwithin the housing, spring means housed within the latch lever andhearing at one end against the same, and means against which the otherend of the spring means bears slidably mounted adjacent said latch levercombined with a rocker mounted for rocking movement against an end ofthe housing, said last mentioned means engaging against said rocker.

3. In a latch, a covering housing, a latch lever pivotally mountedwithin the housing, spring means housed within the latch lever, andboggle means associated with said spring means for normally causing saidspring means to turn the latch lever to'a central position and resistmovement away from said central position, and cause the spring to haveits greatest efiect when the latch lever is at cen-J tral position, anda progressively decreasing eflect as the latch lever is moved fromnormal central position.

4. A latch comprising, a housing, a latchv lever pivotally mounted insaid housing, a rocker located within the housing and pivotally mountedat one side against an end of the housing, said rocker having spacedapart seats at its opposite sides, a plate slidably mounted at one sideof the latch bar having two spaced apart fingers to seat in said seatson the rocker when the lever is in normal central position, said platehaving a leg at one end turned at right angles and extending between thesides of the lever, a

coiled compression spring housed in said latch bar between the lever andsaid leg, said latch lever having a transverse member against which oneend of the compression spring bears.

5. A latch comprising a housing, a latch lever pivotally mounted betweenits ends in said housing, a plate slidably mounted at one side of thelever and associated with the lever andits pivot for guidance in itssliding movements, a coiled compression spring between sald plate andlever, and a rocker member pivotally engaged with one end of the latchLil housing at one side and pivotally associated with said sliding plateat its opposite side, the pivotal engagement of said plate and rockermember being to one side of the longitudintal axis of the lever whensaid lever is in its central position thereby forming a q to le. arranement.- b b In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. ANDREW EKMAN.

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